JOIN USJD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said the results of the gram panchayat polls was not the only determining factor about his party’s standing in the State.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said the JD(S)’ mettle would be proven in the upcoming BBMP polls, followed by the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, where elections are fought on party symbols.
He said both the Congress and the BJP were claiming that candidates backing their parties had won in large numbers in the recently concluded gram panchayat polls. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and RD&PR minister H K Patil have stated that candidates backing Congress have won in a majority of the districts, he added.
“The chief minister has also said that JD(S) has hardly made its presence felt in these polls, which is untrue. Candidates backing JD(S) have won in large numbers in Kolar,
Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural, Ramannagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Chikkamagalur, and Tumakuru.”
When compared to the previous gram panchayat polls, his party had also fared well in Yadgir, Belagavi, Koppal, Bidar, Gulbarga, and other North Karnataka districts.
He said that his party was not too concerned about the claims of Congress and BJP and that his partymen would be patient.